OBJECTIVES: The relationship between congestion of the nasal mucosa and subjective nasal obstruction remains poorly defined. Applying the novel Nasal Congestion Index (NCI), we compared subjective nasal obstruction with objective measures for reversible congestion of the nasal mucosa. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 2,523 consecutive patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Eligible subjects were adults referred to the ENT department, Sorlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway, for evaluation of chronic nasal or sleep-related complaints. METHODS: Subjects underwent acoustic rhinometry (AR) and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) at baseline and after decongestion of the nasal mucosa. Based on these registrations, an NCI was calculated for minimal cross-sectional area (MCA), nasal cavity volume (NCV), and PNIF, and employed for quantification of reversible mucosal congestion. Subjective nasal obstruction was measured by nasal obstruction visual analogue scales (NO-VAS). Statistical analyses were based on ANOVA and multiple linear and logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, asthma, allergy, smoking history, and type of planned intervention. RESULTS: Crude estimates indicated that the NCIs were significantly higher in subjects with severe complaints of nasal obstruction compared with subjects with lesser symptoms (P < .001). These associations were confirmed by linear and logistic regression analyses. NCI for MCA, NCV, and PNIF showed highly significant associations with subjective nasal obstruction (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: We have clearly demonstrated an association between subjective nasal obstruction and reversible congestion of the nasal mucosa by employing the NCI. The measure has proven to be useful for evaluating patients with complaints of nasal obstruction.
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